China Has Overtaken America

In 1957, the launch of Sputnik jolted the United States into an era of scientific ambition, triggering massive investment in research and higher education. That anxiety- the fear of falling behind- proved constructive, fueling decades of technological leadership. Today, however, the situation feels inverted. As China quietly consolidates its lead in areas such as energy production and advanced manufacturing, the U.S. response is not urgency but denial. Despite China now generating more than twice America’s electricity, Washington’s political discourse has turned inward, cutting funding for education, science, and renewable energy in the name of culture wars.

The current administration’s hostility toward scientific progress is most visible in its assault on clean energy. Major solar and offshore wind projects have been canceled, while subsidies for renewables are being rolled back in favor of fossil fuels. This is more than an environmental setback- it reflects a deeper cultural turn against expertise and evidence itself. The same anti-intellectual reflex that once resisted teaching evolution now shapes national policy, undermining America’s capacity to compete in a century defined by technology, data, and climate innovation.

If the Sputnik moment once propelled the U.S. forward, this “reverse Sputnik” risks locking it in stagnation. While China builds the infrastructure of the next industrial age, America is busy dismantling its own foundations of progress. Leadership, it seems, is not lost in a single decision but eroded through the steady retreat from reason.

The original article by Paul Krugman China Has Overtaken America - Paul Krugman